Neighborhood Police Officers

In 1993, Garland created a community police program called the Neighborhood Service Team (NST). Although initially developed for only certain neighborhoods of the city, the NST Unit was very successful and went through several growth periods until it covered the entire city and was renamed the Neighborhood Police Officer Unit (NPO Unit).

Staff

Currently, the Neighborhood Police Officer (NPO) Program has:

2 NPO Lieutenants

16 officers

Each officer in the NPO Unit is assigned a particular area of the city. Within their assigned area, the officer works with patrol officers, employees from other city departments, GISD, business owners, and especially citizens to identify and assist with ongoing problems that affect the area.

Duties & Responsibilities

Primary duties of a Neighborhood Police Officer (NPO) are:

Work with Crime Watch groups, Apartment Managers, Neighborhood Associations, and other community groups within the area. The NPO will be the primary contact for these groups, providing information about ongoing crime trends, soliciting help from the community in solving problems in their neighborhoods, and encouraging and assisting neighborhoods in banding together to work with the police toward a common goal.

Identify specific crime trends within the area, formulate a strategy for addressing the offenses, coordinate and participate in the solution.

Identify and respond to specific problems within the neighborhood including repeat call locations, ongoing neighborhood disturbances, and deteriorating conditions which contribute to the overall decline of the neighborhood.

The NPO will also use high visibility enforcement, abatement procedures, and seizure processes to disrupt the proceeds and lifestyle of their criminal enterprise.

In addition to these primary duties, the NPO Unit promotes several community programs and services.

Additional Information

For more information, call or email your Neighborhood Police Officer, or you may call 972-485-4881. The phone number for your NPO is an office number, not a textable cell phone.